


Royal Flush

by notyourearthlogic



Category: One Piece
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-02
Updated: 2016-01-02
Packaged: 2018-05-11 04:29:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5613961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notyourearthlogic/pseuds/notyourearthlogic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>With Doflamingo every game is high stakes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Royal Flush

Royal Flush

The executives often played card games to pass the time. Poker was a favourite. Rumour had it that this had on one occasion turned into strip poker but nobody would speak of it and the experience had not been repeated.

Doflamingo taught him how to play once after Law spent an evening holding a medical journal in front of his face without reading it, making a bad attempt at disguising his curiousity as the others threw cards down and placed bets. Doflamingo had particular whims like this when he was in a good mood. He would suddenly bring Baby 5 a ribbon or present Sugar with a new variety of grapes and the person who received his attention would spend the day glowing with smugness while everyone else seethed with envy.

Law's stack of beri vanished quickly, he lost every single time.

You need to work on your game face, Doflamingo told him after Law finally threw his latest terrible hand away in a minor temper tantrum. He idly flicked a Joker card between his fingers.

As far as Law was concerned, Doflamingo didn't have any tells. It was impossible to know whether he had a good or bad hand, his smile remained exactly the same.

-

I found your crew, Doflamingo says.

Strawhat is somewhere below them, entangled with Bellamy and the string double.

You're bluffing, Law hisses between clenched teeth.

Poor things, abandoned, all lost and alone in this treacherous world. Stop struggling now and I might even let you chose a couple to keep. Work with me or they'll all die.

Are you willing to gamble their lives?

You've never won a bet against me before, do you expect to now?

-

After the latest disastrous incident at yet another hospital which now requires some structural repairs, they settle into an empty house for the night. It clearly hasn't been lived in for some time, the roof is sagging and has collapsed completely in one corner, but there are still various possessions scattered around as though its previous occupants left in a hurry.

Law finds the playing cards when he starts rooting through the cupboards out of boredom. There's a couple missing and they're slightly curled with damp but he and Cora-san locate some intact chairs and play around the kitchen table using some small pebbles that Law had collected outside as money.

The first round goes to Law and then the second. He has no idea just how Cora-san managed to hide anything from Doflamingo, he's so expressive, wincing dramatically or beaming at his cards without a hint of deception.

Doflamingo always won, Law tells him.

Well of course he would, Cora-san says. He cheats.

-

He thinks of Strawhat so naively trusting him, taking his words immediately on faith when everybody else in this world knows that everyone lies, everyone betrays you. None more so than pirates.

Beneath his feet, Bellamy howls.

Doflamingo is perfectly happy to put people on a leash, but Law knows he much prefers it when his opponent folds and places the collar around their own neck willingly.

**Author's Note:**

> Written before it was revealed that Zou is a GIANT ELEPHANT. I have no idea how poker actually works.


End file.
